Disney, Living Desert join forces to grow future conservationists

On Monday morning at The Living Desert and Gardens, a group of students from Desert Mirage High School in Thermal leaned in close to feed a black rhino named Jaali — and perhaps unknowingly, their own curiosity about conservation careers.

For many of the students, this was their first time coming face-to-face with one of the planet's most endangered animals. As they held out leafy branches, a zookeeper explained how black rhinos, once on the brink of extinction, are slowly rebounding thanks to global and local conservation efforts.